CARY - Residents in the Georgetown at Preston subdivision raised concerns about traffic safety months before a 9-year-old boy was killed by an SUV outside his family's home this month.

In a June 16 e-mail to the neighborhood's homeowners' association, Michelle Moyer, who moved to 120 Council Gap Court last fall, said she often feared for the safety of hers and other children playing outside.

"We've been extremely concerned about the children playing on the sidewalk near the road," Moyer wrote. "We are constantly outside supervising them, but it only takes a second for a child to run out into the road for a toy.

"Even with the close supervision, it is my fear that there isn't enough time to react if my child is in the path of a car," she added. " ... It is my hope that we could take progressive action to prevent any children or others from being severely or fatally injured."

Her remarks, which accompanied a request for speed humps in the subdivision, came almost three months before her fears came true.

On Sept. 12, Ravi Kalipershad, a student at Weatherstone Elementary, was skateboarding outside his home at 117 Council Gap Court when he rolled into the side of a moving Toyota Highlander. He fell into the path of the vehicle's rear, driver-side wheel, and died soon after, Cary police Lt. Randall Rhyne said.

Speed not a factor

The driver, Lauren E. Miller, who lives six doors down from the Kalipershads, won't be charged. Speed wasn't a factor, police said.

"The district attorney and Cary Police believe that there was nothing that could have been done to avoid the accident," the town said in a written statement Friday.

But the incident has heightened concerns among neighbors about traffic safety in the subdivision, which is off busy Davis Drive.

Rhyne said that police hadn't received complaints from residents about drivers speeding in their neighborhood before Ravi's death. But he noted that at least one resident recently requested that officers place a device that tells drivers how fast they're going in the subdivision.

He added that the incident has prompted police to consider a segment about skateboarding safety on a cable access channel.

It is unclear whether Moyer's request for speed humps will gain any traction.

Greg Moyer, her husband, said board members initially responded, saying speed bumps might decrease response time for rescue squads in the event of an emergency. "They said speed bumps could have more of a negative impact," he said.

The issue will now be discussed at the next homeowners' association meeting.

Tara Rheault, president of the Georgetown at Preston homeowners' association, did not immediately return messages calls seeking comment.

For now, Michelle Moyer uses two fluorescent yellow signs that urge drivers to slow for children. She displays one by the curb when her two daughters, ages 2 and 3, are outdoors. But she says motorists disregard the signs.

Michelle Moyer was frustrated that more hadn't been done in the months before Ravi's death to ensure a safer community.

"We're all concerned about this," she said. "In Ravi's case, I'm not at all trying to say that it's the driver's fault. And I don't think that speed bumps would have helped in this particular situation.

"But still," she said, "what has to happen for someone to do something?"

Grieving, consoling

Friends and neighbors of Ravi, meanwhile, gathered outside the home of the Kalipershads early last week.

Efforts to reach Miller and the Kalipershads were unsuccessful this week.

Fresh orange paint - police markings - lingered on the driveway, the street, the grass.

Neighbors coped with the loss of one neighbor and the devastation of another.

Next-door neighbor Pete Flecha remembered Ravi as an athletic boy who regularly rode his skateboard, cheered for the N.Y. Jets and played football with his dad. The family moved here last year from Florida. "He was such a sweet little boy," Flecha said. "Ravi, and each of their kids for that matter, have always been so respectful."

Neighbors said that the Kalipershads traveled to Long Island, N.Y., where they once lived, to bury Ravi.

A candlelight vigil was held the day after the incident. Bouquets of yellow flowers rested on the curb; a single blue candle and Ravi's skateboard were left in a makeshift memorial outside the Kalipershads' home.

"The neighborhood as a whole is just devastated," said Gary Davis, of 118 Council Gap Court. "I was impressed at how many people in the neighborhood turned out.

"People are doing the same for Lauren. We all understand that she's hurting, too."